Islamic Medicine

Ridha Wahyutomo,MD, Clin.Microbiologist

Which one is a moslem doctor?

What is Islamic Medicine ?

Islamic Medicine is defined as an approach to Medical Care whose basic paradigms, concepts, values and procedures conform to or do not contradict the Qur’an and Sunnah.

IT IS NOT specific medical procedures or pharmacopeia of therapeutic agents used in a particular place or a particular time.

Islamic Medicine is universal, all-embracing, flexible, and allows for growth and development of various methods of investigating and treating diseases within the frame-work described above.

The Islamic approach to medicine has reintroduced the human element in medicine without denying the benefits of modern medical technology.

It is a process of conceptual transformation called the Islamizati on of Medicine.

The end-result of the Islamization process WILL NOT BE a medical system FOR MUSLIMS ONLY but for the whole of humanity because Islam is a set of universal and objective values.

Islamization is not theologizing, or localizing of parochial medicine but is rather a rocess that makes an objective, universal, value-based and systematic scheme of excellence for all.

Prof Omar Hasan Kasule Sr. MB ChB (MUK), MPH (Harvard(, DrPH (Harvard) Professor of Epidemiology and Islamic Medicine

Universiti Brunei

Why Do We Need Islamic Medicine?

Motivating FactorsAn unacceptably high number of patients are being treated for side effects of modern therapeutic agents

Narrow specialization leads to lack of a holistic approach to the patient

Physicians behave as a technician and turn a blind eye to moral and social issues that affect the health of his patients

Secularized medicine has no consistent set of ethics leading to malpractice, fraud, and bias in research

By denying a religious and moral dimension, European medicine operates in a presumed moral vacuum.

All this is the result of 1. Materialist Reductionism

lack of tauhid or wholism.

2. Greed due to consumerism.3. Fear of Death is manipulative.4. Application of laws that govern the

mineral kingdom to man.

Hence: Muslims wish to practice MEDICINE not MEDI-SIN

'Evidence-Based' Medicine: A Coin's Flip Worth of Certainty … http://www.activistpost.com/2012/11/evidence-based-medicine-coins-flip.html 90% of the peer-reviewed clinical research, the holy grail of the conventional medical system, is exaggerated, or worse, completely false?

Tauhid

The concept of tauhid motivates looking at the patient, the disease, and the environment a singularity or single system in equilibrium and continuum with the unseen.

Thus all factors involving (affecting) all three elements are taken into consideration while making medical decisions.

Tauhid motivates the Physician to view the patient as one organism rather than a client with a conveniently packaged combination of organs and pathologies ripe for exploitation.

The patient has physical, social, psychological, and spiritual dimensions that must be considered in synthesis with an integrated, holistic approach.

Balance = middle path = moderation

The principle of tauhid requires an overall comprehensive ‘birds-eye’ view of the patient’s disease, their physical constitution, their environment (physical & social), their mental capacity and knowledge base, and their belief system.

The Western allopathic system pays lip service to these realms by merely recording on paper some of the pertinent data, but takes little of initiative or action to modify medical treatments accordingly.

Essentially, Western medicine and society, in its pursuit of profit, has been reduced to recipe makers and vendors whereby technicians (the doctor) prescribe and treat according ly without taking or affording the time, resources or concern for a more comprehensive approach.

The Muslim Doctor’s Responsibility is to PROTECT & ACTIVATE the Purpose of Shari’ah in the realm of medical practice with regard to :

Physical HealthSpiritual HealthProgenyMental HealthWealth

The Physician’s role is integral to these purposes which are PREVENTATIVE as well as CURATIVE

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that:

Hence also, the Muslim Physician’s responsibility is not to blindly follow the West (taqlid) because WESTERN ALLOPATHIC MEDICINE IS NOT CURATIVE WHICH DENIES AL’QUR’AN

The West is destroying their people’s health, progeny, spirits and wealth by treating symptoms in a non-wholistic, non-tauhidic / non-Islamic manner: a neo-Medical Norm

this is the result of Secular Humanism which has lead to Scientific Reductionism.

Allah did not reveal any disease without also REVEALING ITS CURE.

HENCE, AS MUSLIM PHYSICIANS, OUR DUTY IS TO:SEEK, FIND AND APPLY THESE REVEALED CURES .

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

“Islamic Medicine” is not a reaction-to or a complete rejection-of modern Western Medicine.

Natural therapeutics such as nutritional supplements and indigenous, un-processed foods or folk medicines, chiropractic, naturopathy, homeopathy, acupuncture, Chinese and Auruvedic medicines, etc., are included here as being encouraged by Islam -- BUT NOT AS ALTERNATIVES to allopathic drug therapy. Why? Because the word ‘alternative’ implies that Western Medicine is not Islamic, which is not entirely true at all.

Western medicine is, however, an incomplete system with many serious flaws, not the least of which is top-heavy administration and their profit motifs guided by an extremely corrupt Pharmaceutical industry. As you study Western medicine you will come to realize it is more about DISEASE MANAGEMENT rather than disease cure.

Islamic Medicine is about both cure and prevention in addition to well defined moral & ethical values and guidelines. Hence, it is a balanced tauhidic (wholistic) scientific approach to mankind’s illnesses.

Islamic Medicine is defined as a medical practice whose basic paradigms, concepts, values and procedures conform to or do not contradict the Qur’an and Sunnah.

It is not specific medical procedures or therapeutic agents used in a particular place or a particular time.

Islamic Medicine is universal, all-embracing, flexible, and allows for growth and development of various methods of investigating and treating diseases within this frame-work.

ISLAMIZATION IS NOT THEOLOGIZING or sectarian-parochial medicine (Chinese, Malay, Arab or MB Medicine or Education) but rather it is a process that makes for overall universal excellence.

In other words, the epitaph (obituary) should read:

Dr. ‘so and so’was an excellent physician, and by the way, he/she was a Muslim.

[a Muslim who became and died an excellent physician].

Effects of Christianity• Sickness was a punishment from God• Sick could be healed if prayed for forgiveness• People prayed to saints for specific cures• Nuns & monks prayed for sick & provided herbal

remedies from monastery gardens• Monks copied out ancient medical texts in

scriptoriums• Church supported work of Galen & didn’t want

people to challenge ancient texts

Effects of Islam

• Caring for sick was important to the faith, e.g. Baghdad hospital (805 AD)

• Islamic culture valued learning• Greek medical texts translated into Arab and

preserved• Baghdad centre for learning• Islamic doctors preserved and catalogued

knowledge of Galen, esp. Rhazes & Avicenna

Healthcare in the Ancient Arabic World

Hospitals were built

in all major cities.

Some hospitals such

as the Qalawun could

carry up to 8000

people.

The medical ethics of Ancient

Arabia were strong. All patients

were cared for regardless of

wealth or background. Physicians

would even go to patients houses

to give medical care there.

Ancient Healthcare Continued

Abu al-Qasim is considered

the father of modern

surgury. He invented many

sugicalinstuments.

Ammar ibn Ali al-Mawsili

invented the first injection

syringe.

Abu al-Qasim also invented plaster

which is still used today.

Canon of MedicineAvicenna pioneered the idea of taking pulse from the wrist. He reasoned that the wrist was easily accessible and did not stress the patient out by having to expose his or her body.

Avicenna also created the idea of intubation. Intubation is the process of inserting a tube into the trachea of a patient to facilitate breathing. This method is still used today.

Air

Intake

Canon of Medicine • In the Canon of Medicine Avicenna presents

many groundbreaking ideas. • He discovered that many diseases had a

contagious nature. For example he proposed that tuberculoses was contagious

• In order to combat the contagious nature of tuberculosis and other diseases he proposed the idea of quarantine to limit the spread of the disease. Avicenna realized that tuberculosis was spread through water and food so he quarantined these resources too. • He also introduced the world to

experimental medicine and clinical trials.• He proposed seven rules one must follow

when testing new drugs. These seven rules laid down the foundation of modern experimental pharmacology methods.

Seven Rules of Testing Drugs1) “The drug must be free from any extraneous accidental quality.”2) "It must be used on a simple, not a composite, disease.”3) "The drug must be tested with two contrary types of diseases, because

sometimes a drug cures one disease by Its essential qualities and another by its accidental ones.”

4) "The quality of the drug must correspond to the strength of the disease. For example, there are some drugs whose heat is less than the coldness of certain diseases, so that they would have no effect on them.”

5) "The time of action must be observed, so that essence and accident are not confused.”

6) "The effect of the drug must be seen to occur constantly or in many cases, for if this did not happen, it was an accidental effect.”

7) "The experimentation must be done with the human body, for testing a drug on a lion or a horse might not prove anything about its effect on man."

Treating Patients• Muslims believed that

diseases could be sent by God.

• Unlike Christians Muslims believed in finding remedies for disease rather than relying on prayer.

• As a result Islamic medicine was far more advanced than medicine in the West.

Other points to Remember…

• Islam believed Hygiene was important for health.

• Charity and caring for others encouraged.• Hospitals set up for sick.• Sick people even given money so they didn’t

have to rush back to work.

My Quote

Patria Es Humanidad

• Thoracic surgery of little Muhammad• Old jew lady and Rasulullah (PBUH)• Omar ibn Khattab and a widow• King Richard and Saladin Al Ayoubi • etc

Really? Why?*

*Tenane? Lha nopo?

Because....

• Moslem doctors have:– Qur’an and sunnah as their morality guidance– Effort to do the best for their patients– Update knowledge

I’m not the best but I will do better. And good is not enough if better is possible